It’s a safe bet that anyone manning the airport baggage security scanners over the holidays is going to see a growing number of e-readers inside carry-on baggage. The devices are perfect for reading while traveling, and easily slip into the side pocket of your shoulder bag.

There does seem to be one issue with passing your e-reader, and in particular your Amazon Kindle, through airport security, though. Apparently some Kindles are appearing the other end of the X-ray scanners with their E Ink screens broken.

The blame is being attached to the radiation the scanners emit, but at least one expert has said that is very unlikely. The very low levels of radiation wouldn’t have an impact on the E Ink display. Amazon has also pointed out that the majority of Kindle devices make it through airport checks unscathed, again making it unlikely to be a radiation issue.

Another explanation does exist though, and has been offered up by the chairman of the University of Cambridge center for Advanced Photonics, Professor Daping Chu. He believes that the airport scanners suffer from a build up of static electricity due to the rubbing of the rubber belt they use. If that somehow discharged through the Kindle, your display would be toast.

The static charge makes more sense because it would only happen occasionally, and that would explain why only some Kindle device are appearing broken.

If you want to avoid the chance of a broken e-reader, then the best thing to do is make sure your device is inside something that would block the static charge, even something as simple as a plastic bag would help.You may even be able to form your very own e-reader antistatic bag if you’ve bought a few PC components lately e.g. a hard drive or memory modules. A decent case is a good idea too, as it will protect your screen from scratches or drops.